Side by side was a lived experience for Tim and Emily Membrey long before it was a lyric in the famous club song he now sings.
And, when the Collingwood forward, flanked by daughters Wren and Beau, walks through the banner, cradling newborn son Ted, celebrating his 200th AFL game on Friday, the occasion won't be lost on the Membreys.
Nearly two years ago, the 31-year-old was a game-day withdrawal from St Kilda's elimination final against GWS as he battled mental health issues. Now, Membrey is "as good as he's been" and feeling reinvigorated, and reflective, at the Magpies.
"To look back and have a nice photo of the family on the MCG will be pretty special, something I'll get framed and hang up in my shed," he told ESPN.
"These are the special ones."
The road to 200 has been far from a cakewalk for the kid from Traralgon who was drafted to Sydney in 2012.
His debut and lone game for the Swans came in 2014. Months later, he was traded to St Kilda where he would blossom as their leading goal kicker three times in nine seasons. Then, last October, with Membrey a delisted free agent, Collingwood came calling.
Emily had supported her husband through the days that felt like they had more shade than light. Her honesty and willingness to challenge Membrey was equally important.
"She's incredible and there's no way I would've got to 200 games without her by my side for pretty much my whole career, my whole journey," Membrey explained.
"We still feel like kids at times but now we've got three kids, a family, and responsibilities and it's amazing how quickly we've grown up together. She's so happy and hardworking and nothing's ever too hard for her and that's something I've leaned on as her husband."
"One of her great traits is that she supports but she'll also challenge you and want you to get better whether it's training, off-field, if I'm having doubts about something -- she'll break it down and work out how we'll approach it.
"She's a real doer and fixer. She just wants the best for the people in her circle."
Even in those tough times, Membrey's love for footy still burned bright.
"I knew once I got on top of a few issues, I still loved footy and I still loved competing. I just had to get a few things off-field sorted and now I'm feeling great, as good as I've ever been," he said.
"The passion, I never lost that. As soon as I got myself right, I hit the ground running and I'm still very passionate and excited to run out...most weekends!"
The mental grind of professional sport is a constant but a new club has provided new perspective.
"It's been a lot of hard work that's gone into getting here. As much as you want to sit in it and be happy and satisfied, you're always looking for things to improve and it can wear you out at times," Membrey said.
"And I think that's what Collingwood and Fly (coach Craig McRae) drive -- that everyone is in this position for a reason, we're all good players and bring great strengths and he just wants us to keep bringing those.
"It's been a really exciting year for me, to start somewhere fresh, play footy and just go out there and concentrate on my role and that's something the club hold really highly internally.
"Playing in a team that's so well gelled, experienced, we've got some absolute stars of the competition and I pinch myself, at times, running out alongside them."
Twenty games in and the size and noise of the mammoth Magpie army is still stinking in, highlighted by a pregame ritual on the whiteboard in the physio room.
"The players will have a crack at what the crowd number might be and most times it's in the 80,000s and I can't even believe that's the number they're writing up," he laughed.
"Nearest to the pin gets a prize and I've never won it, I always go unders. It could be raining at the 'G and I'll go 'Nah, they won't show up surely.' And we run out and yep there's 80,000 there."
And while the Magpies have taken a mini nose-dive from the top rung of the ladder, Membrey says some finetuning in recent weeks has led to improvements despite last weekend's narrow loss to Adelaide.
He dares to dream about the last Saturday in September.
"I get goosebumps thinking about it, it's the ultimate dream. Everyone wants to be a premiership player and to have had a long career, it would be the icing on the cake and to do it with a group that's so hungry.
"To be part of a team that could go all the way would mean so much."
Like a crack at the crowd on the whiteboard, Membrey is thinking big.